In an interview, Bongbong Marcos said that the recount for his election protest against Leni Robredo must proceed regardless of whether or not the Supreme Court Chief Maria Lourdes Sereno will resign or get impeached. He assures the public that abandoning it is not an option for the 2018 Senatorial election because he is certain he’s the Vice President. Just recently, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque issued the call that says; Sereno should resign and save the institution from “further damage.”

Probable Cause for Impeachment

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque issued the call as the House committee on justice prepares to meet on Nov. 20 to determine if there is probable cause to pursue impeachment proceedings against Sereno. Roque explained that the judiciary might not survive another removal of a chief justice through impeachment. He refers to the 2012 ouster of Sereno’s predecessor Renato Corona during the Aquino administration. Corona was impeached for not declaring all his wealth in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth or SALN.

The President Wants to Remove the CJ

Asked whether President Duterte shared his view on Sereno, Roque said, “Of course, the President wants her removed altogether, by all means.” Last month, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Andres Bautista, but he stepped down as chairman of the Commission on Elections before the chamber could forward his case to the Senate for trial. During the Aquino administration, the House also impeached Merceditas Gutierrez. She resigned as ombudsman instead of facing the Senate impeachment court.

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Case Background

The impeachment complaint against Sereno, filed by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, stems from her alleged failure to declare P37 million in professional fees as a private lawyer representing the government. This is in the case against Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc (Piatco), builder of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

Not Abandoning Protest

Bongbong Marcos knows that Robredo’s camp hopes for him to run as Senator so that his electoral protest is deemed moot. He said that doing so is an admission that he was not the winner of the Vice Presidential race. Since he is confident that he could have won if not cheated, there’s no way that he will abandon it. In fact, he is calling for the immediate recount.